


assessment

by wafflelate



Series: tuesnight: the eighth day of the week [9]
Category: Dreaming of Sunshine - Silver Queen, 人渣反派自救系统 - 墨香铜臭 | The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
Genre: Endless Abyss Era, Future Fic, Gen, Medical Care
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:11:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23859610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wafflelate/pseuds/wafflelate
Summary: Sakura assesses the new friend Shikako brought home from some place called, get this, the "Endless Abyss."
Relationships: Haruno Sakura & Luò Bīnghé
Series: tuesnight: the eighth day of the week [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1713367
Comments: 25
Kudos: 326
Collections: Heliocentrism — a Dreaming of Sunshine recursive collection, What Fen Do (Instead of Going Outside), When Death Loves Flamingos





	assessment

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tuesnight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tuesnight/gifts).



Sakura's not actually clear on the origins of the prisoner she's been brought in to assess, but Shikako is the one leading Sakura to the prisoner so it was probably pretty damn weird and above even Sakura's clearance level. What's most important is that the prisoner needs an expert medical assessment, Tsunade is busy walking Naruto through whatever Hokage things Naruto is learning today, and Sakura is qualified. As a bonus, she's allowed to ask questions relevant to medical treatment, a rule that Sakura knows Shikako will bend until it breaks if necessary. 

The prisoner is in a high-security cell, one of the ones with a bed and a desk and light reading material. He's crammed himself into the corner like a trapped animal, although the scattering of books on the bed indicates that that might have happened because he heard them coming — Sakura notes that the sound dampening isn't turned on in the room, probably because the prisoner hasn't done anything wrong, necessarily, and therefore isn't being purposefully isolated. 

Also: the prisoner is gorgeous. Drop-dead, unbelievably, _unfairly_ gorgeous. He's about Sakura's age and has long, black hair framing striking features. His forehead is adorned with a seal of a kind Sakura has never seen before. He's wearing standard T&I replacement clothes, which look amazing on him. How dare he! 

But no, Sakura thinks to herself. No, stop that. He's a patient. And a prisoner. She'll be professional. 

"Luo Binghe, this is Haruno Sakura," Shikako says. "She's a friend of mine. Sakura, this is Luo Binghe. He's a new friend." 

Luo Binghe had relaxed as soon as he'd seen Shikako, and now he relaxes further. "This one is pleased to meet you," he says, extremely politely. He has an accent Sakura hadn't expected — they really don't get many _legitimate foreigners_ — but Sakura holds back a reaction to it. She wouldn't want him to think she's judging him. 

Sakura waves with the hand that's not holding her bag. "I'm glad to meet any friend of Shikako's," she says. "I heard you might be poisoned. If it's alright with you, I'll do an assessment and see if I can help." 

"It will fix itself eventually," Luo Binghe tells her, "so you don't need to trouble yourself." 

"It's no trouble," Sakura says firmly. 

Perhaps sensing that there isn't much of a choice, Luo Binghe nods and submits to inspection...which all goes wrong immediately. 

Luo Binghe doesn't have the tenketsu she expects, nor does he have any chakra pathways at all. It's not like Lee, or like an underdeveloped civilian — no, his coils are _completely missing_. Tsunade is going to be so pissed she let Sakura get to this case first. 

"Where are you from?" she asks Luo Binghe casually as she continues her diagnostics. 

Shikako doesn't object to the question, of course. 

His mouth tightens unhappily and his heart jumps. "This one spent many years as a disciple of Cang Qiong Mountain Sect," he says. He clarifies: "On Qing Jing Peak." 

"I've never heard of it," Sakura confesses. Fire Country doesn't even have many sects these days; religious affiliation waned during the Warring Clans period. 

"It's very far away," Luo Binghe says quietly. He looks down and away from her. 

Okay, not a good topic of conversation. Sakura casts around for something else, and settles on: "How did you meet Shikako? She didn't pick a fight with you, did she? She's always making friends like that." 

"Rude," Shikako mutters behind her. 

(Sakura will never _ever_ let Shikako live down that time, years ago, when Shikako went to fight the Three-Tails and made friends with it instead.) 

"We were both lost in the Endless Abyss," Luo Binghe says. "Nara Shikako discovered how to escape and was kind enough to take this one with her." He looks a little star-struck at the memory, which is pretty common for anyone who spends any amount of time around Shikako these days. Not that Shikako realizes. 

What the fuck is the Endless Abyss, Sakura thinks. Well, actually, the name is pretty self-explanatory, actually. Aloud, Sakura says, "That definitely sounds like Shikako." 

Sakura probes a little deeper, noting the way Luo Binghe shudders as her medical chakra suffuses his body. A sensor, maybe, or just sensitive to chakra — or both. Not something it would be polite to ask about now, considering it doesn't seem to have caused any discomfort. 

Luo Binghe appears to have the right number and type of organs. Physically, everything is in order except for the poison Sakura can feel circulating in his bloodstream. But there's something...Luo Binghe doesn't have chakra, that's for certain, but he's definitely got _something_. 

"You're not just—" What's that PR term Haku had said Mist started using after the rebellion? "—baseline human, are you?" 

Unexpectedly, Luo Binghe's shoulders hunch. "No," he says miserably. "I'm not." 

Maybe wherever he's from had gone through something like the Mist cleansings. Sakura cuts the medical jutsu and pats Luo Binghe on the shoulder as comfortingly as she can. Bedside manners! "It's okay," Sakura says. "It's way cooler to be different." 

Luo Binghe doesn't look convinced, but..well, this probably isn't a problem that will be solved just like that. Shikako will probably fix it when Sakura isn't looking, anyway. Or they can just throw him at Naruto. Whatever. They'll make him feel better. 

"Let me explain how the poison removal works. Then you can decide if you're comfortable with the process," Sakura says, switching gears again. She did come here with a job to do, after all. 


End file.
